Why Republicans Argue
Update: Fremont’s actions replicate what the British did (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunmore%27s_Proclamation)
Sad to say, when the topic is history, we are left with too many textbooks, and not enough investigating and documentation. Americans have always had an argumentative streak and have had a high tolerance for it but we often forget.
But with Republicans, there is an extra element. Republicans have a history of being internally combative. You can read up on the origins of the Republican Party from such books as Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men by Eric Foner, but it has biases.
John Charles Fremont helped form and frame the Republican Party and ran for President in 1856 but lost (https://tinyurl.com/2mwwtn8d). The Republican Platform of 1856 of which he ran (https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/republican-party-platform-1856), in regards to slavery, merely wanted to do what the Continental Congress did in passing the Northwest Ordinance, ban slavery in the territories. Later, Abraham Lincoln would run on a much more evolved 1860 Republican platform which included a veiled advocacy for higher tariffs. Neither of these platforms would free a single slave.
The economic plan in the 1860 platform was for the Federal government to benefit from the cash crops of the South through higher tariffs to fund expansion to the West. The Republican platform would free no slave but fund homesteads. In fact, the economic plan was dependent upon slavery. This is why Lincoln stated in his First Inaugural address the only way to avoid war was for the South to pay the duties to the Federal government (https://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/lincoln1.asp).
Once war commenced, Fremont would become a major general in command of troops in Missouri. In doing so, he proclaimed an end to slavery. This upset President Lincoln so much, he fired Fremont (https://dynamic.stlouis-mo.gov/history/peopledetail.cfm?Master_ID=912 and https://www.americanheritage.com/fremont-affair). Fremont would later run against Lincoln in 1864 but withdrew to prevent splitting the Republican Party.
Many Republicans are proud to say they are of the party of Lincoln. I rather say I am proud to be a member of the Party of Fremont, Coolidge, and Reagan. Yes, Republicans will argue over this!